WAITAKI HERALD, JULY 16, 2014 13 (ECE) benefit in many ways, and that these benefits also extend to their family/whanau and the wider community. Taking part in ECE builds a strong foundation for your child’s ongoing education, learning and development. Children learn lots of new skills by participating in ECE, building on the skills they learn at home and from their families/ whanau. In New Zealand there is a wide range of ECE services catering for the different needs and requirements of families/whanau. Each service works differently depending on the type of service you choose. 20 Hours Free Since July 1, 2010 all three, four and five-year-old children have been able to go to ECE services for six hours a day, 20 hours a week at no charge. Twenty hours ECE applies to all teacher-led ECE services, kohanga reo and playcentres. To get this support, your child must be enrolled in and going to an ECE service offering 20 Hours ECE. You will have to decide which of the enrolled hours will be covered by the scheme. You can choose any hours your child is enrolled to attend, and you can’t have more than six hours a day, 20 hours a week. You will need to fill in an enrolment agreement, and confirm the days and hours you are claiming as 20 Hours ECE on an attestation – which may be a separate form or At Oamaru Little Wonders we believe that children come first. Learning is our goal and wellbeing is the foundation of all we provide. Our centre provides learning and care for infants from 3 months through to children 5 years of age. We provide environments that are planned to support age appropriate learning experiences which challenge children’s enquiry and exploration skills, while nurturing their wellbeing and belonging. Tapatoru our 4yr old room offers both free sessional transition to school times alongside full day care options. How do we prepare children for school? This is one of the most commonly asked questions concerning our early childhood part of your enrolment agreement. Your ECE service will give you these shortly before your child turns three (or when you are enrolling) and can help you complete them. If your child goes to more than one ECE service, you can split the hours claimed as long as you don’t curriculum-TeWhariki and how it ties to the National School Curriculum. The New Zealand Curriculum framework outlines essential learning areas, essential skills and attitudes and values. Our Early Childhood Curriculum provides a foundation for children to become confident and competent and during the school years be able to build on previous learning. Our trained teachers plan a programme based on the early childhood curriculum, Te Whariki, which builds upon the children’s foundations for all future learning. At our centre, entrenched in our philosophy, is the belief that through building close relationships with families and our wider community we support children’s learning. ENQUIRIES WELCOME 303 Thames Street, Oamaru For more information or to enrol your child phone: (03) 4342459 or visit us on: www.littlewonderschildcare.co.nz 6185465AA claim for more than 20 hours a week or six hours a day. You can’t claim for the same hours twice. Fees ECE services can’t charge fees for the hours of 20 Hours ECE, but they can charge for your child’s other enrolled hours. ECE services set fees on an hourly, daily, sessional or weekly basis. The service must be able to show you how they are only charging for the hours outside 20 Hours ECE. minedu.govt.co.nz Many benefits to early childhood education R esearch shows that children who are involved in quality early childhood education Beneficial: Three to five-year-olds now get 20 hours of early childcare education free. Children at a Little Wonders Early Childhood Centre make a healthy dish. 6185471AA 6191202AA